“Oh, didn’t I mention that I was going to kill you?” said JP, taking her firmly by the arm. “And that your death is going to bring about the end of the world, not save it? Sorry I lied about that last bit. It’s not just a hundred live cats we need—we require the pure blood of a maiden, too.”

“But you said if I did everything you wanted, then the world would be safe!”

“And you believed me, like the silly child you are.”

“Let me go!” shouted Lexy, wriggling to break free from JP’s grip. But her struggles came to nothing. “Help!” She grasped at JP’s hands to try to . . . to try to . . . But it was no good. He wasn’t going to let her go.

The only person who could hear her was Tabitha, who now came out of the stable looking interested. She always liked seeing bad things happen to pathetic, unpopular girls who couldn’t look after themselves. And this one was even from an inferior school.

“You are relieved of your duties,” said JP to Tabitha. “The maiden sacrifice can watch the yeti now. I’ve got something else for you to do.”

He pushed Lexy into a stable where a very hairy creature about the size of a seven-year-old child looked at her with big, frightened eyes. As JP locked the bottom half of the stable door Lexy looked back at the yeti and tried to make her eyes say, Don’t worry—I’ll save you. The poor thing looked so very afraid. Then they were enveloped in gloom as JP pulled the top of the stable door closed and locked that, too.

Effie finished telling the others about everything she’d learned recently, including what she’d overheard the day before in Mrs. Bottle’s Bun shop.

“So the Great Library actually wanted the book back?” said Wolf. “The one about the Diberi?”

“Yes,” said Effie. “I mean I suppose it’s fair enough—The Diberi are a part of reality after all. It does feel like cheating to just remove them magically like that. On the other hand, if they’re planning to destroy the whole world, then maybe it was a sensible thing to do. Anyway, the short version is that my mother removed the book and I put it back.”

Pelham Longfellow sighed. “You did the right thing, even if it was a mistake,” he said.

“And the end of the world. That’s planned for this evening?” said Maximilian. “Well. It almost makes you think that Madame Valentin was right with her ridiculous prophecy about cats flying through the air and—”

“Oh my God!” said Raven, jumping to her feet. “That’s it!”

“What?” said Effie.